


Bitten by the Love Bug

by hitmyheart



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Arranged Marriage, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic, Hate to Love, Jealousy, M/M, Pet Names, Protective Mark Lee (NCT), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-09-27 03:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17154284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitmyheart/pseuds/hitmyheart
Summary: Mark's life completely changed when a certain twenty-year-old university student showed up at his front door and claimed himself as his future husband.“My name is Lee Donghyuck and I'm your future husband.”





	1. Then Came A Feisty Puppy

**Author's Note:**

> It was supposed to be a oneshoot but I just had to make this chaptered lol but it's not gonna be that long. Another tooth-rooting fluff and romance because that's my department. Hope you guys will enjoy this!   
> Merry Christmas! ♥

* * *

 

Mark groaned loudly as the bell of his apartment door didn't stop ringing after a whole minute. He rolled over and pulled the blanket up, trying to get more comfortable and cursed whoever outside the door. For a moment the bell stopped ringing and Mark let out a deep sigh, waiting for sleep to take him again. He has been very busy with work and he was sleep deprived. It’s finally Sunday and all he wanted right now was people to leave him alone so he could get some sleep. Just as Mark almost fell asleep, the bell rang again but this time it was followed with a loud knock at the door.

“Fuck!”

Mark sat up straight, kicking the blanket off his body. He swore he would kill whoever outside the door for ruining his peaceful slumber. He jumped out of the bed and slid out of his room shirtless, not bothering to grab a t-shirt. The loud knocking only intensified as Mark getting closer to the front door. Breathing harshly, he opened the door but before he could say something, a boy who's standing in front of him beat him first.

“Hello, Mister! My name is Lee Donghyuck and I'm your future husband!”

_What the actual fuck?_

 

* * *

 

 

“ _Mom, what the hell?_ ”

Mark spat out as soon as his mother picked up the phone. His breathing harsh and his nostril flared up. The kid, Donghyuck, now sitting crossed-legged on the couch, was looking up at him with his big eyes. Mark glowered at him but he only blinked at him, not even flinching. It pissed Mark even more.

“ _Honey, it's seven in the morning_ ,” her mother sounded calm as usual, unfazed with Mark's sudden outburst.

“ _Exactly, mom. It's freaking seven in the morning and you just ha_ _d_ _to ruin my day off_.”

“ _What are you talking about?_ ”

Mark growled, knowing perfectly well that her mother was playing dumb with him. Some people might consider Mark as rude with the way he talked to her mother but that's just how their relationship was.

“ _There's a creepy kid showing up at my front door and he told me that he's my future husband. When I told him to go away, he told me to call you to prove his words. Care to explain that?_ ”

_“Oh!”_ his mother exclaimed, sounding so happy and excited _. “Donghyuckie has arrived safely! So glad to hear that. He must be really exhausted—“_

_“Wait, hold on for a second, mom,”_ Mark quickly stopped his mother from rambling. _“You do really know him?”_

For a moment, his mother grew quiet. Mark waited impatiently, stealing glances at Donghyuck. That kid didn't pay attention to him anymore. Instead, he was casually reading his novel; _Norwegian Wood_. The sight of him looking so cozy, so carefree in _his_ house as if he hadn’t just barged in like a creep, only added fuel to Mark’s anger.

_“I knew you would definitely forget about this,”_ his mother said after a moment of silence. She hummed. _“I'm kind of expected you to. You don't even remember your own birthday.”_

Closing his eyes, Mark could feel a headache slowly coming. _“Can you just get straight to the point, mom? Just tell me the truth so I can kick him out of my house and go back to sleep.”_

_“You kick him out and I'll kill you.”_

Mark opened his mouth to say something but his mother beat him first.

_“If you aren't so busy with your work you would have remembered about the arranged marriage we  discussed last year. And if the name of Seo Donghyuck isn't ring a bell then I'm questioning your intelligence.”_

Mark instantly closed his mouth again and frowned.

Arranged marriage? Seo Donghyuck?

He tried so hard to recall the conversation he had with his mother, digging information from the very back of his head. After pondering over it for a few moments, something finally clicked on his mind and he froze. Mark turned to Donghyuck the same time the smaller looked up from his novel.

He blinked at him. Once. Twice. Donghyuck blinked back at him.

Suddenly everything that has been forgotten flooded Mark's head and the realization made his jaw fell, gasping in disbelief.

_“No way,”_ Mark said, struggling to accept the reality. He swallowed hard. _“You're joking. Right, mom?”_

“ _Of course not_ ,” her mother replied, sounding even more cheerful now that Mark had finally remembered. _“Listen, honey. He's going to live with you from now on and I want you to take care of him. If you do something funny to him, then say goodbye to your company.”_

And then the line went dead.

“Wait, mom? Mom!”

Mark yelled frantically but he knew it was a futile attempt because his oh-so-beloved mother had already hung up on him. He raked fingers through his hair frustratedly and muttered profanities under his breath. He was so wrapped up with his own thoughts that he didn't realize Donghyuck had already got up from his sitting position and slowly approaching him.

“Do you believe me now?”

Mark let out an unmanly squeak when he realized Donghyuck had already stood in front of him. Donghyuck continued staring at him with his big puppy like eyes. Mark looked at him up and down, still suspicious.

The kid wore dirty yellow converse, black ripped jeans, and a very bright yellow sweater that hung loosely over his shoulders, down to his knees, making him looked even smaller. He looked like a harmless puppy but still, he was the same kid who showed up at his front door like a creep.

“Mister, are you listening to me?”

Blinking, Mark scrunched his nose up.

“Don't call me mister, you creep.”

“I'm not a creep!” Donghyuck huffed, looking offended. “You heard auntie. I'm your future husband.”

Mark groaned.

“Stop saying that, for God's sake.”

“But it's the truth!”

Mark had to massage his temple because his headache was getting worse. He knew what Donghyuck said was true. His mother had told me last year that if Mark wanted to inherit his current company, he had to get married to the heir of Seo, one of the richest families in Seoul, to strengthen their business relationship. Mark knew about Seo’s and had a good friendship with the oldest son, Johnny Seo. He and his brother, Jaehyun, used to attend the same college as him. Mark also knew Chenle, the youngest son, because he’d attended his birthday party last year. And that boy attended the same high school as his little brother, Jisung. They were practically joined to the hip. When there was Jisung, there was also Chenle and vice versa.  

But Mark had never known about Donghyuck. In fact, there was hardly news about him because he’d almost never showed up in public. The public only knew about his name, his age, and his face. That’s it. Seo’s was very secretive when it came to the second heir. 

When his mother told him that he’s going to marry Donghyuck, Mark had laughed at her and told her that he would never do that. She only smiled in return and they never talked about it again. Mark didn't really give thoughts about the matter because he was too preoccupied with his work as the President of Lee Entertainment.

Now that Donghyuck was here, slapping him with the reality, Mark just couldn't accept it.

“I want you out of my house right now. I don't care what my mother said. I'm not marrying a kid.”

Donghyuck crossed his arms over his chest, lifting his chin up and huffed in annoyance.

“I'm not a kid!” he said. “I'm twenty. And no, I'm not leaving.”

“This is my house. If I say you leave, then you leave.”

“Your house is also my house because I'm your future husband. If I say I’m not leaving, then I’m not leaving.”

Mark gaped at him. “You little—“

“Look,” Donghyuck cut him off. “If you really want to inherit Lee Entertainment, then you need to follow our parents' order and stick to the plan.”

Mark's jaw fell, staring at Donghyuck with wide eyes. This kid had the tendency to lecture him and talked to him as if he was the older one between them. The disrespect. Mark couldn’t tolerate it any longer.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mark took another step forward, towering over him.

“First of all, do not talk to me with that kind of tone,” he said, grinding his teeth together. “And why are you so persistent anyway? It's not like we love each other. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with someone you don’t love?”  

Donghyuck's hands fell to his sides. He pouted, his eyes dropped, and he stomped his feet like a dejected puppy.

“That's the only way I can do in order to do whatever I want!” he cried out, startling Mark with his sudden outburst. “If I agree to marry you, Johnny hyung will inherit Seo Entertainment and I would be free from my obligation. Mom will let me do anything I want, including pursuing my dream as a writer. Do you think I'm fond of the idea of marrying an old man? I can find someone better than you!”

Mark blanched. He couldn't believe that Donghyuck got some nerves to talk back to him like that. This kid...

“I'm not an old man. And you're not any better. With your figure and height, I wouldn't be surprised if someone mistook you as a high schooler.”

“Don't insult me!”

Donghyuck slapped Mark's chest so hard it made the taller stumbled backward. Mark gasped in surprised, glaring at him.

“How dare you! I'm going to sue you for touching me!”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

“Quit being dramatic, mister. And I'm going to stay here whether you like it or not. End of the discussion.”

With that, Donghyuck turned around and walked over to the couch, taking his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Mark could only watch him with slightly opened mouth, still trying to comprehend the whole situation.

Did the kid just boss him around in his own house? Him, the President of Lee Entertainment? And he let him? As if he's just waking up from a trance, Mark quickly followed the kid who's already halfway to the kitchen. But then Donghyuck stopped and spun around. Mark's steps instantly came to a halt.

“Mister,” he called, wrinkling his nose as he took in the sight of Mark. “Can you please wear clothes in the house? It hurts my eyes to see you shirtless.”

Mark Lee wanted to die right here and there.

 

* * *

 

Mark had just finished taking a shower and was about to walk over his closet when there was a loud knock at the door. He stopped, groaning in annoyance. For a moment he'd forgotten that he wasn't alone. Donghyuck was right outside the door, currently banging at his door like there was no tomorrow. Mark grunted and continued his steps, opening his closet and hastily took the first piece of clothing he saw, which was a plain black t-shirt, and put it on. He reached out for his sweatpants and quickly wore it.

“Mister, open the door!”

Another loud bang.

“I'm not going to leave before you open this door!”

Mark gritted his teeth, spinning around so fast he almost lost his balance. He walked over to the door and flung it open.

“What? What?”

Donghyuck patted his tummy, staring up at Mark with his droopy eyes.

“I'm hungry. Feed me!”

Mark snorted. “I'm not your servant. Buy your own food.”

A low rumble was heard. Donghyuck jutted out his lips at the sound of his growling stomach. Mark looked down at the smaller’s tummy, raising one eyebrow at it.

“I don't have my wallet,” he said. “I left it at home.”

Mark stared at him incredulously.

“Then call your driver or whoever and ask them to bring you food.”

“Why would I do that? I have you! And you're rich. You can feed a whole country with your money.”

Mark stared at Donghyuck, his cheeks puffed out, his eyes droopy, his nose scrunched up, and he started tapping his feet against the floor impatiently. Suddenly he got the strong urge to pinch his cheeks until it turned bright red. Or his cute button nose. Wait, did he just said cute?

_No way. Wake up, Mark Lee._

“Mister, my tummy can't stop growling. I want food.”

Mark was a grown-up man. He was the President of Lee Entertainment. One of the most successful businessmen and Seoul’s most wanted bachelor. He prided himself for always being composed, realistic, and practical. It hadn't been more than an hour since he met Donghyuck yet the smaller managed to make him wanted to throw his sanity out of the windows. Suddenly, he wanted to take revenge. To piss him off and push his limit. Being mean and childish. Mark was going to let him starve and die—he's being totally irrational right now but he just couldn't stop himself.

“No,” he said, his lips slowly stretched upward into a smirk. He lifted his hand up and flicked his forehead with a smug expression on his face. “Starve and die, kid.”

Mark didn't see it coming but the next thing he knew, Donghyuck grabbed his hand and bit it so hard he'd screamed at the top of his lungs.

Let's just say Mark Lee had learned his lesson after that.

 

* * *

 

 

Mark crossed his hands over his chest, glowering at Donghyuck who's sitting across him. The kid was making weird noises as he happily munching his food. Mark glared at him so hard his eyes started to get hurt. He put one hand at the table, staring at the red mark at the back of his hand. He would never forget the bite and how he almost cried because of the pain. Donghyuck might have a small figure and soft feature, but Mark would never underestimate him again.

A small burp made Mark broke out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Donghyuck had finished his food. The smaller leaned back against the chair, patting his tummy with the biggest smile on his face.

“Full now? Happy?”

Donghyuck grinned, ignoring Mark's blatant sarcasm.

“Yes. Thank you, mister.”

“I told you not to call me mister, kid.”

“See, you call me kid too even after I told you not to. So we're even.”

Donghyuck had that eat shitting grin on his face and Mark wanted nothing but to wipe it off his face.

“You're annoying.”

“So are you.”

Mark gritted his teeth. This kid was such a pain in the ass and knew perfectly well how to get on his nerves.

“Listen, kid. If you’re going to stay here then you have to obey me. My house, my rules.”

Donghyuck opened his mouth to say something but Mark held one finger in the air, stopping him from talking.

“I'm serious. I'm not going to let you invade my personal space more than this. You've done enough today.”

Donghyuck pouted. “I don’t invade your personal space. Besides, we're going to get married at some points and spend the rest of our lives together. We need to get used with each other.”

Mark cringed, still not used with the topic of marriage. It was too sudden for him. He'd never once thought about marriage before. He was completely content with his job and didn't feel the need to find a partner anytime soon. He couldn't imagine himself being with someone for the rest of his life. It was just too much for him. And now that Donghyuck was here, Mark was certain that his life was going to be miserable.

“I still need you to behave and stop acting like a feisty puppy. You're scary and annoying.”

Donghyuck slammed his hand down on the table, making the plate and glass shaking, startling Mark who almost jumped out of his seat because his voice was too loud for seven in the morning.

“I'm not a puppy!” he scrunched up his nose, glaring at Mark. “Stop calling me with weird names.”

Mark exhaled sharply, glaring back at him.

“Whatever. You’re going to sleep on the couch.”

Donghyuck’s eyes widened.

“What? No way!”

Mark looked so smug and satisfied to see his surprised face.

“I told you. My house, my rules.” he said. “I only have one room and I'm not going to let you sleep on the same bed as me. If you don't want to sleep on the couch, then feel free to sleep on the floor.”

Donghyuck looked at him incredulously.

“How come a house this big only has one room? That's impossible! What about the guest room?”

"It was designed as my study room. You should be grateful I offer you my couch.”

“But I'm your future husband! You can't do this to me.”

“Yes, I can,” Mark used his president tone to shut the feisty puppy up and it worked. He smirked. “You sleep on the couch and you're not allowed to come inside my room. End of the discussion.”

Feeling satisfied after throwing his words back, Mark smiled in triumph as he got up from his chair and walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the frantic puppy. 

“Wait, mister! We’re not done yet!”

                                                                                        

* * *

 

Mark didn't see Donghyuck when he emerged from his room. Part of him wished he had gone but when he saw a pair of dirty yellow converse on the floor and green Jansport backpack in the living room, Mark could only grunt and quickly went to his study room. He didn't care where the kid was. He could die or starve to death for all he cared. He had enough of Lee Donghyuck today.

Mark ended up spending the rest of the day in the study room, reading contracts and preparing materials for his meeting tomorrow. The company was planning to debut a new girl group next month and Mark's workload had increased. He didn't even remember when was the last he went out to meet up with his friends. Too preoccupied with work to even have time for himself.

By the time Mark had finished everything, he was surprised to find that the sky had turned dark and it was already past dinner time. Mark took off his glasses and placed it down near his laptop, rubbing his tired eyes. He rose from his seat and walked over the door. He was thirsty and hungry.

Just then, as soon as he stepped out of the room, a hand slapped his head.

“ _What the hell,_ _mom_?”

Mrs. Lee glared at his son, fuming. “Mark Lee, you imbecile! You let my future son-in-law slept on the couch. Where's your manner? I didn't raise you to be an inconsiderate asshole!”

Stroking the side of his face that has turned red, Mark pouted at his mother. This was so unfair. He looked over her shoulders and saw Donghyuck stood only a few feet away, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. His hair sticking out everywhere. He clearly just woke up from sleep.

“I was in my study room. I didn't know he was sleeping there!”

Mrs. Lee slapped his arms and reached out to pinch his ears, making his son yelled in pain.

“Are you telling me that you've been ignoring him a whole day and didn't take care of him? I told you to take care of him!”

“I don't want to!”

Another slapped on his arms.

“You ungrateful—“

“Auntie, I think that’s enough,” Donghyuck interrupted softly, fiddling with the end of his sweater, shifting awkwardly from one foot to another. Mrs. Lee quickly turned to him with a soft smile on her face.

“Sweetheart,” she cooed. “It’s very nice and sweet of you to care for this inconsiderate asshole after what he did to you. God, he should be grateful to have you.”

Mark let out a scandalized gasp.

“You can’t blame me like that, mom. That's really unfair!"

“Shut up, Mark. I need to teach you a lesson.”

“Mom, go easy on him.”

A deep voice chimed in. Mark looked up and saw his brother and his husband, Taeyong, walking in the living room. Jaehyun smiled in amusement at him meanwhile Taeyong was already at Donghyuck's side. His brother-in-law seemed unhappy with the situation. He threw a hard glare at him and Mark gulped. In all honesty, he's more scared of Taeyong than his mother. He could be feisty and merciless if he wanted to.

“Mark, Donghyuckie just came back from Jeju and went straight here. He must be really exhausted. You’re not supposed to let him slept on the couch.”

“Taeyongie, you need to teach your brother how to be a gentleman. Sometimes he's just as dumb as Jaehyunie.”

Jaehyun who has been watching the scene before him silently, let out a scandalized gasp as soon as his name was being mentioned.

“Why are you dragging me into this, mom? I'm always a gentleman to my husband!”

“And I'm not dumb!” Mark added.

Mrs. Lee snorted. “You forgot your first anniversary, Jaehyun. And you, Mark Lee, you're just so dumb.”

Jaehyun let out a grumble as he plopped down on the couch. Taeyong giggled, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Jaehyun let out a sigh and stared at him with dreamy eyes. He could never get mad at his cute husband.

Mark walked over to the couch to join his brother. With ears tinged red just like the color of his swollen, bruising cheek, Mark slouched against the couch and mumbled lowly to himself. He crossed his arms over his chest, sulking as he watched his mother and his brother-in-law fussing over Donghyuck.

“Donghyuckie, sweetheart, did you bring clothes?”

Donghyuck shook his head, smiling sheepishly. “No, auntie. But Johnny hyung said he will send over my things tomorrow.”

“You can wear Mark's clothes. I'm sure it's going to fit you.”

Mrs. Lee nodded in agreement.

“Taeyongie's right. You guys are going to get married and that means what's his is yours too.”

“No way. I'm not going to share what's mine with that kid.”

Mrs. Lee and Taeyong turned to Mark and gave him a warning look. Mark quickly shut his mouth, sinking deeper into the couch. Jaehyun looked at his brother pitifully, giving his shoulder a comforting pat. He couldn't defend his brother because he could never win against his mother and Taeyong. Especially Taeyong, because he was so weak when it came to him.

Donghyuck grinned from ear to ear, making Mrs. Lee and Taeyong cooed over him. Mark wanted to throw a hard object at his face. That puppy looked clearly happy with the whole situation and was indeed in cloud nine having his mother and Taeyong on his side.

“I want you two to get along well. Me and Donghyuckie’s mother are still discussing the date of the wedding. It's not going to happen anytime soon because we want Donghyuckie to finish his college first. But living together before marriage will help you guys getting to know each other better. Is it okay with you, sweetheart?”

Mark wanted to let out a protest but Donghyuck beat him first.

“Yes, auntie. It's totally fine for me,” he said, glancing at Mark with a glint in his eyes. “Don't worry. We'll get along just fine.”

Taeyong cooed over him, pinching his cheek gently.

“Aww, Markie is so lucky to have such a cute partner like you.”

“No, I'm—“

“Anyways,” Jaehyun interrupted his brother, squeezing his thigh as a signal to shut his mouth because he knew whatever he was about to say was either snarky or dumb. Their mother wouldn't like it. “I think we have to get going now. It's getting late. Donghyuck and Mark need to take a rest.”

“All right, then,” Mrs. Lee said. “Sweetheart, just call me or Taeyongie if you need anything, okay?”

“Don’t worry, auntie. I’m going to be fine here.”

Mrs. Lee smiled. “All right, sweetheart. Now go to Mark's room and take a rest.”

“He's not going to sleep on my room, mom.” Mark quickly interrupted, not being able to hold himself any longer. “We have an arrangement. I let him stay here but he's going to sleep on the couch.”

It was dead silence after that.

Taeyong's jaw fell, Jaehyun sighed in exasperation, Donghyuck could only blink, and Mrs. Lee had a murderous look on her face as she turned to his son. Yet Mark was completely unaware of the impact of his words, still sulking.

“And what made you think you can do that to Donghyuckie, Mark?”

Puffing out his chest, Mark simply said, “Because this is my house. My house, my rules.”

A couch pillow was slapped onto Mark's already bruised face.

 

* * *

 

 

Mark didn't have another choice but to let Donghyuck sleep on his room. The puppy was practically bouncing on his feet as soon as Mark's family went home. He padded over to Mark’s room with the latter trailing behind him. He flung the door open and went inside. Before Mark could stop him, Donghyuck already ran to the side of the room and rummaged in the closet. He was itching to pull the puppy away and tied his body with rope so he could stop moving but he held himself, fearing his mother's threat.

_“_ _You and Donghyuckie are going to sleep on the same room. The same bed. Don't you dare to let him sleep on the floor, Mark Lee. And once again, what's yours is his._ _”_

_“_ _What? You can't do this to me, mom!_ _”_

_“_ _Yes, I can. If you bully my soon to be son-in-law_ _again_ _, say goodbye to your company. And you know I'm more than capable to do that._ _”_

A tug at the end of his shirt pulled Mark back to the reality. He blinked and found the feisty puppy was already standing in front of him. He looked at him, up and down, frowning.

“Are you seriously only wearing that?”

Donghyuck looked down at himself. He only wore Mark's oversized t-shirt that hung loosely over his shoulder and fell to his thighs, covering his boxer briefs. He looked up again and nodded.

“Yes. I’m comfortable like this,” he said. And then, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he leaned forward, biting his lower lips, an attempt of being sexy and seductive. “Do I look sexy and make you lose control?"

Mark snorted and flicked Donghyuck's forehead lightly. The puppy let out a squeak.

“In your dream, kid.”

“I told you I'm not a kid!”

“Right, whatever.”

Feeling more exhausted than he’d realized, Mark threw himself onto the bed and let out a deep sigh. He felt the bed dipped, followed by another body heat next to him.

“Mister, share your blanket.”

Mark was too tired to argue with Donghyuck and wordlessly kicked the blanket off his body and let the puppy had it. He never slept with a blanket anyway.

“Do not cross the line.”

Mark let out a grumble, not moving from his spot. He closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to quickly take him.

A beat of silence.

“Mister, I can't sleep with lights on.”

Mark groaned.

“Then turn off the goddamn lights and stop talking to me.”

Mark heard a flick and then the room turned dark. He sighed again.

It was silence for a moment. Mark was so close to falling asleep but of course, Lee Donghyuck just had to open his mouth again.

“Mister—“

“For God's sake, Lee Donghyuck, can you shut your mouth and sleep?”

Donghyuck let out a huff and Mark didn't have to turn around to know that he's sulking.

“I just want to say thank you.”

Mark opened his eyes but stayed still. He almost couldn't believe his ears. Did that puppy just thank him?

“Thank you, mister,” he said in a surprisingly tiny and timid voice but Mark was too tired to ponder over it. “For the food and the clothes. But you're still old and annyong.”

Mark scoffed and closed his eyes again. Lee Donghyuck was still such a pain in the ass.  

“Whatever. Now close your eyes and sleep, brat.”

“Okay, mister.”

 

* * *

 


	2. The Puppy and The Tiger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to update this fic. Hope you guys will enjoy this!^^   
> Thank you always for Cam for being my personal beta reader <3

* * *

“Well, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”

The familiar voice sounded fuzzy to Mark’s ears and it made Donghyuck’s nose scrunch up a little in distaste because it’s too early in the morning for anyone to be talking. But then a snicker followed right after, the voice was higher than the previous ones. That meant there were more than one person. Mark finally opened his eyes at that. The bright yellow light of a sunny day that peeked through the curtains almost blinding him, making him groan deep in his throat. He also wheezed when he noticed the heavy feeling sinking into his chest.

“Mom told me to check up on you guys and Taeyongie hyung was worried sick but it seems like you guys get along just well.”

“Jisungie?”

Just as Mark spoke, his voice laced with sleep and gruff, a timbre lower than his usual tone, the body on top of his finally stirred awake. Mark looked down and found a pair of droopy eyes staring at him sleepily.

Mark blinked.

Donghyuck blinked back at him.

Everything happened in a blur.

Mark finally realized that Donghyuck had his shorter limbs wrapped around him, legs secure around his waist and fingers awkwardly threaded through Mark's dark hair. It was also then when Donghyuck felt the tightening grip of huge hands. Right there. Both on his ass cheeks, down at the middle of his bottom. Warm, thick fingers gave an involuntary squeeze because Mark had yet to fully wake up, eyes blurry and mind still dazed, and who knew the puppy’s bottom would be this… _squishy_.

Someone started screaming.

Jisung and Chenle laughed their asses off as they watched Donghyuck try to roll over the bed but accidentally knocking against Mark's morning wood with his knee, making the latter scream in pain as he ended up falling off the bed.

“Get off of me, you pervert!”

“You're the one who latched onto me like an octopus!”

“You squished my ass cheeks!”

Mark let out a groan before he’s picking himself up on his elbows to glare at the smaller. His crotch twitched painfully and his knees were bruised from impact of his fall.

“Mark hyung, in case you haven't realized, you have to go to the company at eight and it's already seven thirty.”

Mark cursed out loud and quickly stood up. Before padding over to the bathroom, he grabbed a pillow and threw it at Jisung's face because that kid wouldn’t stop laughing at him.

Jisung let out a scandalized gasp, stumbling backward. Beside him, Chenle laughed with his high pitched voice.

“Hyung!”

“Serves you right, brat.”

It only took ten minutes for Mark to get ready. When he burst out of his room, a strong smell of freshly brewed coffee hit his nostril, halting his steps. He walked over to the kitchen and was surprised to see his usually vacant kitchen was crowded. Mark might be the Seoul's most wanted bachelor but he couldn't cook to save his life. His kitchen was like a decoration in his house. The only ones who constantly used it were his mother and Taeyong. His brother-in-law often came over to make sure he was still alive. But lately he had been busy with Jaehyun going overseas to file for an adoption. They had always wanted to have a child and Mark could only hope for the best for them.

Mark watched Donghyuck who stood before the counter, his back facing him. He was flipping the pancakes on the pan while humming softly, his hips swaying slightly to the beat. Jisung and Chenle sat next to each other, munching their sandwiches happily. Donghyuck must have felt his presence because before Mark could even take a step forward, he turned around and pointed his finger at the tooth bag on the table.

“Bring it.”

Blinking, Mark slowly walked over the table. “What's that?”

“What do you think it looks like?” Donghyuck deadpanned.

“It's your breakfast, hyung,” Chenle replied for him, cheeks puffed out with food. “Haechan hyung made it for you!"

Mark turned to Chenle and smiled at him. He could never throw snarky remarks or be mean to him. He was just so pure, so bright, and loveable. It was understandable why everyone loved him and had soft spot for him. Sometimes Mark wished his evil little brother, Jisung, was more like him.

“Take it and leave. You're already late.”

Mark scrunched up his nose. “Are you sure it's edible? How do I know you haven’t put any poison inside?”

Mark peeked inside the lunch bag and his eyes widened slightly when he found a coffee thermos and three Tupperware inside.

“Then try it yourself and die.”

Mark scoffed. He looked down at his wrist-watch and cursed. Right, he was late. Without thinking, he grabbed the lunch bag and ran out of the door. Donghyuck could only watch him, shaking his head.

 

* * *

 

Kim Doyoung opened his mouth in shock as he stared at his boss as well as his cousin. Mark Lee sat on his chair, skimming through documents while eating his sandwich. Mark Lee was _eating_ in his office. At ten in the morning. Doyoung couldn’t believe his eyes.  

“Boss,” Doyoung started slowly. “Are you actually... _eating_?”

Mark looked up from his documents with lips smeared with mayonnaise and cheeks puffed out. Doyoung cringed at the sight.

“I am,” Mark answered after swallowed his food. He reached out across the table to take tissues to wipe his hand and lips. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“It's just...strange. Usually I have to yell or force you to eat.”

“I'm not that bad.”

Doyoung gave him a look. Mark just sighed in defeat.

“Just tell me my schedule for today.”

Instead of answering, Doyoung took a seat across Mark and smirked. “Taeyongie told me that your fiancé is officially living with you now. Is he the one who made that?”

Mark put his documents down and sighed.

“Secretary Kim, I don't pay you to slack off—“

“I've met him before,” Doyoung continued, blatantly ignoring Mark's efforts to maintain his professionalism. “Donghyuckie is such a nice kid. He is so cute and a little shy. You'd better be nice to him.”

Mark almost choked on his own food when he heard that. He stared at Doyoung incredulously. Donghyuck being shy? No way. Donghyuck was anything but shy.

“Shy? He is a little devil,” Mark said. He remembered this morning accident and a frown immediately formed on his forehead. Annoyance was written on his face. “I can't believe my mom raised me for 27 years just to make me suffer by forcing me to marry a brat like him.”

Donghyuck tsked loudly and gave him a disapproving look.

“If he's a brat, he wouldn't bother to make breakfast for you.”

“I didn't ask for it!”

“When will you learn to be grateful, huh?” Doyoung shook his head in exasperation. “You should've known that your mother would never settle for less. Donghyuck is the best partner for you.”

Mark had the urge to rip out his hair and throw a tantrum like a kid. How could Doyoung, his secretary, the cousin he’s been close with since they were kids, who also barely knew Donghyuck be against him too? What exactly did that feisty puppy do to have all these people on his side?

Before Mark could say something in return, his phone rang loudly. Still annoyed with the situation, he reached his phone and blindly pressed the answer button without looking at the caller ID.

“ _Hello?_ ”

Startled at the familiar voice, Mark quickly pulled his phone away from his ear to look at the screen. He choked on his spit when he saw _'My future husband ♥'_ on his phone screen as the caller ID. When and how the hell did the puppy managed to save his number on his own phone?

Doyoung leaned forward to take a peek at Mark's phone screen and cooed when he saw the ID. “Aw, that's so cute!”

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Mark pressed the phone over his ear again.

“ _Did you hijack my phone?”_

“ _I just borrowed it for a while to save my number when you’re in the shower_ ," Donghyuck replied casually and the way he talked as if it was nothing only pissed Mark off even more.

“ _I'm hanging up the phone_.”

“ _No, wait! That’s rude. I'm not done talking yet, mister._ ”

Mark let out a grumble. "What do you want, kid?"

“ _Pick me up at 12!_ ”

“ _No_ ,” Mark didn't miss a single beat to answer. “ _I'm not your driver. Go home by yourself.”_

Donghyuck let out a huff. “ _But I want you to pick me up!_ ”

Mark pinched his nose. The nerve of the small puppy.

“ _And I told you I don't want to pick you up!_ ” he said. “ _There are taxis. Subways. Buses. Suit yourself_.”

Doyoung covered his mouth with both hands to stifle his laugh. Mark frowned at him, questioning his antics with his eyes. But the secretary just continued to laugh.

“ _All right, then_ ,” Donghyuck said after a beat of silence. “ _I'm going to ask for Taeyongie hyung to pick me up._ ”

Mark groaned loudly. Donghyuck knew exactly how to get on his nerves.

“ _Are you threatening me now?_ ”

“ _Is it working?_ ”

Mark shut his eyes tightly, trying to maintain his composure. He could imagine the smaller was smiling cheekily right now and it was obvious that he’d lost.

“ _Fine_ ,” he said after a beat of silence. “ _I'll pick you up_.”

Donghyuck giggled happily. “ _Okay, mister! Thank you!_ ”

“ _Whatever, brat_.”

As soon as Mark hung up the phone and slammed it on the table, Doyoung finally let go of his hands and let out a guffaw. Mark frowned at him.

“What's so funny?”

“Oh my god, Mark,” he said, his body shaking with laughter. When he looked up at Mark, he looked at him in amazement. “You're totally whipped for him.”

“No, I'm not!”

Doyoung just smiled. But Mark didn’t like the way he looked at him with a glint in his eyes. “Be careful, Mark. You might fall for him.”

Mark let out a dry laugh. He would never fall for Lee Donghyuck. Never ever.

“Thanks. But that will never happen.”

 

* * *

 

Mark drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently as he waited for Donghyuck to show up. He told Mark to wait at the bus stop. The smaller had texted him a few minutes ago, telling him that he'd just got out of his class and was on his way outside. Leaning his head against the chair, Mark turned on the radio and closed his eyes. He'd just finished a very long meeting and it actually felt kind of nice to be able to get away from his office for a while. Mark loved his job with all his heart, it was practically his life, but he couldn't help but feel suffocated sometimes. He needed to breathe a fresh air and enjoy the scenery.

A knock at the windows broke out Mark's thoughts and when he opened his eyes, Lee Donghyuck was right there, waving his hands excitedly at him. Mark scowled at him and unlocked the door. The puppy opened the passenger side door and then climbed inside. 

“You owe me for picking you up.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Don't be so stingy to your future husband, mister.”

Mark only scoffed at him as he started the engine and slowly drove away. Donghyuck took off his shoes and put his feet on the dashboard. He wriggled his toes back and forth, giggling. Mark saw that and wrinkled his nose.

“Put your feet down. That's disgusting!”

“Just look at the front and drive, mister.”

Before Mark could say something, Donghyuck leaned forward to fiddle with the radio. He found his favorite station, the one that played everything from 90's. Michael Jackson was singing 'Thriller', one of his favorite songs. Donghyuck sang along, out loud. Mark reached over to switch off the radio but Donghyuck was quick to slap his hand away.

“Your voice is out of tune! It’s hurting my ears.”

Donghyuck sang even louder. Mark let out a groan.

“I swear to God, you're such a pain in the ass.”

Donghyuck stuck out his tongue at him, and then giggling like a kid. “You just have to get used to it, mister.”

Donghyuck continued to sing and bopped his head to the music. Mark knew there was nothing he could do so he finally gave up and let the smaller do anything he wanted.

“Mister, go to the nearby restaurant.” Donghyuck said after he finished singing Billie Jean. He didn’t seem out of breath even though he’d just spent five minutes screaming his heart out.  

“And why would we do that?”

“Of course to buy food,” Donghyuck deadpanned. “Just drive me there.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mark said sarcastically but Donghyuck seemed happy and giggled even more.

They drove for a few minutes more before Mark finally stopped by at the chicken restaurant at the corner of the street. Donghyuck told him to wait inside the car and promised him that he wouldn’t take long. Ten minutes later the smaller got out of the restaurant. When he slid inside the car, Mark gaped at three boxes of chicken on his hands.

“Are you having a party or what?”

“Jisungie and Lele are coming over today. We’re going to watch movies together.”

Mark frowned. “Do you guys do that often?”

“Yes. Unlike you, Mister President, we have a lot of free time to just chill and watch movies like a normal person.”

Mark snorted at his answer. “Kids these days.”

Donghyuck just stuck his tongue out and put his legs on the dashboard again. This time, Mark didn’t bother to scold him, knowing that it would be useless. The smaller would always do the opposite of what he said. In the end, Mark let Donghyuck do whatever he wanted, including blasting the same song over and over again for a whole twenty minutes before the car finally pulled over to the driveway in front of his house.

“We’re here,” Mark said. “Now get out of my car, kid.”

Donghyuck ignored Mark. He wordlessly unzipped his backpack and took out a small handbag and shoved it into Mark’s lap.

“What—“

“It’s your lunch,” the smaller quickly cut him off. “You have to re-heat them on the microwave first because I packed them this morning and it’s already cold. Your office pantry has a microwave, right? If you don’t know how to use it, ask Doyoungie hyung.”

And just like that, before Mark could say something in return, Donghyuck already opened the door and slid out of the car. Mark could only watch as the smaller ran inside the house. He blinked dazedly. And then he looked down at his lap, staring at the lunch bag for a whole minute. If he had realized how his heart thudded audibly against his ribs, he ignored it and quickly drove back to office.

 

* * *

 

Mark came home later than usual because of an impromptu meeting and when he arrived at his house, he found Jisung and Chenle were cuddling on the couch. Chenle was safely tucked under Jisung's chin and his brother had both arms around his small figure, their legs entangled. There were three boxes of chicken Donghyuck had bought earlier on the table, one of them was already empty, and two glasses of orange juice. They were so immersed on the movie, watching the lead female actor sobbed uncontrollably while hugging herself under the rain. Mark tried not to roll his eyes. It was so typical for the kids to watch something that cliché.

Knowing that both Jisung and Chenle would never bother to greet him even though Mark knew they were aware of his presence, he went straight to the kitchen. He walked over to the fridge and opened it, taking a bottle of water. He was about to drink when his eyes caught something on the dining table. He took big steps to take a closer look and his face went blank when he realized that it was food. There were a bowl of rice, his favorite _kimchi jjigae_ , _ggakdugi_ , and myulchi _bokkeum_ as side dishes. Mark looked down at the food for a very long moment and his throat went dry. It'd been awhile since he had come home to a table full of home-made mood. They were the kind of food that he only ate when he was at his parents' house or when he ate at the restaurant with his friends. But never at his own house.

As if he just woke up from a trance, he finally remembered about Donghyuck. Right. The annoying puppy. Where was he? Not that Mark suddenly cared about his whereabouts, but he was pretty sure the puppy was the one who made the food because there was no way Jisung or Chenle cooked for him. The food looked inviting and Mark's stomach grumbled loudly because he hadn't eaten yet, but suddenly he got a urge to find the puppy first. Before he could stop himself, he was already walking back to the living room.

“Jisung-ah, where's Donghyuck?”

“In your room,” his brother answered without even looking at him. “He hasn't come out of there since cooking dinner for all of us.”

Mark frowned. He remembered Donghyuck told him that he was going to watch movies with the kids. Then why he wasn't here with them?

“Mark hyung,” Chenle said, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look up at the older. “I think there's something wrong with Haechan hyung.”

“What do you mean, Chenle-ya?”

“He looked pale when he got home and he skipped dinner. Can you check on him? Make sure that he's okay?”

Mark's frown deepened. The smaller looked perfectly fine when he was with him but the concerned look on Chenle's face was genuine. He gave Chenle a small nod and wordlessly made his way to his room. He pushed the door open and entered the room. He was surprised to see that the room was dark, except for the dim light from the small lamp on the nightstand. There was a big lump on the bed and it was undoubtedly Donghyuck. A small whimper broke the silence and Mark quickly approached him. He stopped before the bed and knelt on one knee.

“Hey, kid,” Mark reached out to shake his body but got another small whimper as a reply. He frowned. “You're going to suffocate yourself. Lower the blanket.”

Mark waited for a few moments before Donghyuck finally pulled the blanket down his face and tucked it under his chin. The usually sassy, feisty, and energetic small puppy looked so pale with beads of sweat standing like dew on his forehead. Instinctively, Mark reached out to wipe some of the sweats off his temple.

“What happened?”

Donghyuck just shook his head, biting his lower lip. Mark's lips pressed into a thin line.

“Donghyuck,” Mark said in a firm tone. The kind of tone he used when he talked to his business partners. The tone that held absolute command. “You're sweating buckets and you look sick. You need to tell me what you’re feeling so I can help you with the pain.”

Donghyuck couldn’t really concentrate to what Mark was saying. At that time, a sudden pain twisted in his stomach and he gasped.

“Excuse me!”

Donghyuck quickly kicked the blanket off his body and jumped out of the bed, almost knocking Mark's face in the process. He ran to the bathroom with his hand clamped over his mouth. He burst inside and then crouched over the toilet and vomited into the bowl. He felt so sick and horrible that he didn't realized that Mark was following him. He jerked in surprise when a hand touched his back and another hand keeping his hair out of his face.

“Damn fried chicken,” Donghyuck moaned, struggling to control his breath. Mark was silently waiting for him, wiping sweat from his temple and forehead with his hand. Donghyuck threw up once more into the bowl and even though he felt slightly embarrassed because Mark had seen him in that state, he felt too sick to even care about his look right now.

“Are you all right now?” Mark asked in a surprisingly gentle tone after Donghyuck could finally breathe again.

“Yeah, fine,” he croaked. “It's nothing.”

“Doesn't look like it,” he said. “Come on, let's get you cleaned up.”

Mark helped him up, holding his elbow gently. He carefully walked him to the sink. At that moment, Mark didn't think much when he wrapped one arm around the smaller's waist, keeping his hair out of his face as the puppy cleaned his mouth and brushed his teeth. Mark reached out for the towel and gently dabbed it around his mouth. Too tired to even move, Donghyuck unthinkingly leaned his head against Mark's chest, breathing heavily. Instead of pushing him away, Mark wrapped his arms around his shoulder and held him closer.

“Can you walk?”

“Can’t you see me? Do I look like I have energy in my body now?”

Mark let out a sigh. “You look healthy enough to throw some snarky remarks toward me.”

Donghyuck whined, burying his face deeper into his chest. “No, I don't think I can walk by myself.”

“I guess so too.”

Before Donghyuck could answer him, he let out a surprised gasp when Mark picked him up bridal style. He did it so effortlessly as if Donghyuck weighted nothing.

“I do not accept any refusal or protest.” Mark said before Donghyuck could even open his mouth. The smaller looked up and raised one eyebrow at him.

“And who said I wanted to protest, mister?”

As Mark carried him out of the bathroom, Donghyuck wrapped both arms around Mark's shoulder and nuzzled his face on his throat. Mark carefully settled the smaller down the bed. He told him not to move too much before leaving the room to grab a glass of water and some painkillers. A few moments later he returned to the room and climbed into the bed to help Donghyuck drink and swallow down his medicine. When Mark was about to slide out of the bed, Donghyuck caught his wrist to stop him.

“Where are you going?”

“I'm going to call the doctor.”

Donghyuck shook his head. “No, I'm fine. I just need some sleep.”

“Donghyuck—“

“Please,” the puppy said in a small voice, his big eyes shining with unshed tears from the pain. “Just stay here for a while and rub my stomach?”

For a few heartbeats of silence, Mark stared at the puppy and for some strange reason he found himself unable to deny him.

“You're unbelievable.” he managed, looking at him incredulously but moving closer to the smaller and lay down facing him.

Donghyuck scooted closer to Mark, curling up in a ball with both hands fisted against his chest. Mark wasn't quite sure what should he do at the moment. Suddenly, he was hyper aware of their proximity. Their faces were only inches apart and all he could do was lie there completely still. Mark watched as Donghyuck's eyes slowly fluttered closed, his lips slightly parted as he inhaled. The dim lights from the lamp that illuminated the room threw soft shadows across Donghyuck's face, making him glow. This was the very first time Mark properly looked at the smaller and he noticed how his eyelashes were longer than he originally thought. He let his eyes traveled down the thin bridge to his cute button nose. He noticed that Donghyuck's baby fat on his cheeks hadn't completely gone but it made his face looked fuller. His heart shaped lips was small but thick and his jaw was actually sharp. Donghyuck looked soft and gentle like that. It felt so much like discovering the new sides of him. Mark felt like a creep staring at the smaller's face a little bit longer than necessary but he didn't know why he couldn't look away.

“Mister,” Donghyuck said without opening his eyes. “Are you going to keep staring at me or rub my stomach so I can feel better?”

Blinking, Mark could feel a heat slowly crept up his neck to his face. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, not knowing what to say. Donghyuck finally opened his eyes and looked up at the latter, frowning.

“Rub my stomach.”

Mark wrinkled his nose. He almost forgot how annoying the puppy was.

“Bossy.”

“Grumpy.”

“That's it,” Mark said. “I'm leaving.”

Mark made an attempt to get up but Donghyuck quickly clutched his hand, pulling him down on the bed again. He pouted at him.

“My stomach really hurts,” he said and Mark knew he wasn't joking because pain was evident on his face. For a moment Mark felt bad for teasing him. “Rub my stomach, please?”

Mark sighed. “Only because you asked very nicely.”

Mark didn't know what pushed him but when he reached out, he didn't even hesitate to slip his hand inside Donghyuck's t-shirt and press his palm over the smaller's soft tummy. Donghyuck surprisingly didn't even flinch from the contact. His eyes fluttered as Mark smoothed his hand over it, rubbing and caressing it gently. Donghyuck exhaled through his nose as Mark pressed his hand a little bit harder, loosening the knot in his stomach.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” he breathed out. “It feels nice.”

Mark hummed and kept rubbing his stomach but after a while his hand started to hurt because of the uncomfortable position. He pulled his hand away and Donghyuck instantly let out a whine.

“Why did you stop?”

“Turn around, kid.”

“Why?”

Mark tsked loudly. “Just do it.”

Donghyuck huffed but still did what Mark told him. He turned around and let out a gasp when Mark pressed his broad chest flush against his back, his head safely tucked under the latter's chin. Mark stretched out one hand under Donghyuck's head as a pillow and another hand on his waist. He slipped his hand back under his shirt and massaged his stomach again.

Donghyuck let out a content sigh. “I'm so sleepy.”

“Sleep then,” Mark said. “If the pain doesn't go away after you wake up, we're going to see a doctor. I don't take no as an answer.”

“Okay. But you have to keep rubbing my stomach.”

“Just sleep, kid.”

More exhausted than he thought, Donghyuck didn’t throw out another remark and closed his eyes. He felt so comfortable and content. The nausea had passed and he actually felt a lot better now.

“Mister,” Donghyuck said after a long moment of silence. Mark only hummed as a reply. And then in a more soft and gentle tone, the puppy continued, “Thank you.”

Mark just hummed again, pressing his hand on Donghyuck's lower stomach and rubbing the tensed muscle.

“What do you want to eat for breakfast? I can make whatever you want tomorrow.”

“You're not cooking anything, kid,” Mark said in an even tone but still sounding firm. “Just take a rest.”

“I'll be fine by tomorrow.”

“We don't know that yet. Just listen to what I say.”

“And if I don't?”

Mark pinched Donghyuck's stomach playfully, earning a small yelp from the puppy.

“Then I'll punish you.”

Donghyuck pouted. “Meanie Mister.”

Mark pinched Donghyuck's stomach again. “Sleep, kid.”

“Okay, _husband_.”

Mark almost tickled Donghyuck because the smaller couldn't seem to stop teasing him but decided to hold back. It was silent after that and it didn't take long for sleep to take Donghyuck.

That night, Mark stayed awake until the smaller stopped whimpering in his sleep and fell asleep with his hand still pressed over Donghyuck's stomach. 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/_hitmyheart)


	3. Sickeningly Sweet like Honey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone still remember this story? xD   
> I'm terribly sorry for making you guys waited for so long. I'm sorry it took me forever to update the next chapter. I hope this can make up to the long wait. Hope you guys enjoy this one ♡

* * *

The next morning, Mark woke up first. Unlike yesterday, he didn't even flinch when he felt the weight on top of him. Somehow, their position had changed over the night and now Donghyuck was practically lying on top of him, both of his hands were around Mark's neck. Donghyuck's nose nuzzled against Mark's throat, his warm breath hitting his skin and his hair tickled his jaw. The puppy let out a small whine when Mark tried to shift. The latter couldn't move much because their legs entangled and his hands were wrapped securely around the smaller's waist. Blinking his eyes to adjust the brightness of the room, Mark looked down at Donghyuck who still sound asleep, his face looked so peaceful. He brought one of his hands to his face and pressed it against his cheek, frowning when he noticed that it still felt warm.

“Wake up, kid.”

Mark shook his shoulder but Donghyuck didn't even move a muscle.

“Come on, sleepy head,” he said, patting his cheeks gently. “Wake up.”

Donghyuck let out a loud whine, swatting Mark's hand away.

“I don't want to.”

Out of impulse, Mark let his free hand traveled down to the small of Donghyuck's back and then to his butt, squeezing it playfully. It made Donghyuck shrieked and quickly rolled off Mark's chest. He whined in annoyance and reached out to slap Mark's torso, hard enough to leave a bruise but the latter surprisingly only laughed it off.

“Pervert Mister,” he mumbled, eyes still squeezed shut while his hand blindly reached out for a pillow and then he pulled it against his chest, shifting a little to get a comfortable position. Mark scooted closer and unthinkingly reached out to slip his hand under Donghyuck's t-shirt, pressing his palm over the soft tummy and caressed it gently. It made Donghyuck let out a content sigh.

“How's your stomach?”

Donghyuck hummed. “Better.”

“Do you think you can go to campus today?”

Donghyuck slowly opened his eyes, blinking sleepily at Mark.

“I want to skip class today.”

Mark arched one of his eyebrows at the smaller. “I thought you said you're feeling better now?”

Donghyuck pouted at him, his small button nose scrunched up.

“But not completely better! I should rest more!”

Mark couldn't help a small chuckle that escaped his lips. He knew Donghyuck was being a brat right now but for some reasons, he did not have any intention to confront him.

“All right,” Mark finally said. “You can skip class today. Do you want me to call a doctor?”

“No~” the puppy whined again, shaking his head. “No doctor. I just want to stay at home and sleep.”

“Okay then. Do you want me to call Chenle and Jisung to come over?”

Donghyuck nodded wordlessly. He felt sleepy again because Mark didn't stop caressing his stomach and it felt so, so comfortable. His touch made his warm body relaxed and pliant. Needing more physical contact—he was a sucker for a cuddle when he was sick—Donghyuck threw the pillow he was clutching over his back and then reached out for Mark, scooting closer and buried his face in his chest again. He didn't expect Mark to immediately wrap his arms around his waist, pulling him closer. Both of them knew something in their dynamic had changed after last night. Now it didn't feel weird to be this close with each other and they were actually civil, something that seemed impossible before.

“When are you leaving to work?” Donghyuck said but his voice came out as a muffle, barely audible because his mouth was pressed against his chest.

“At eight,” he replied, playing with the back of the smaller's hair, unaware that his action almost made him purr in delight. “I have to get ready now.”

“Okay,” Donghyuck said, but he didn't make an attempt of letting go of Mark, which made the latter chuckled. Instead he scooted closer and let out a sigh. The warm hand against his smooth skin, Mark’s deep voice that rumbled through him, and their proximity made the smaller even drowsier.

“Can we cuddle for the next ten minutes? I feel so sleepy right now. I don't want to move.”

“I didn't know you become unbelievably clingy when you're sick.”

Donghyuck pinched Mark's arms playfully.

“Shut up. My head hurts because you keep talking.”

“Brat,” Mark muttered without a real heat. He let Donghyuck threw his leg over his and clutched his neck in a tight grip. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep again, snoring softly. Mark waited for fifteen minutes before slowly unlatching himself from the smaller and slipped out of the bed. He carefully tucked the smaller under the blanket and made sure he was comfortable enough before getting ready to work.

When Mark was finally ready to go to work and almost halfway to the door, he abruptly stopped. He didn’t think twice when he turned around and walked over to the bed again. He stared at the smaller for a whole minute before bravely bending down and pressed a light kiss on top of his head, ruffling his head gently before bolted out of the door, cheeks heating up after realizing what he just did.

 

* * *

 

Doyoung stared blankly at Mark, jaw dropping. He blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend what he just heard.

“Um, boss,” he said, gaping at him. “Did you just... can you repeat that?”

Mark looked up from his laptop. He looked so busy for a Thursday morning, his white sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his suit jacket discarded over his leather chair, his thin-rimmed glasses hung on his nose.

“I said I wanted to go home early today and I wanted you to clear out my schedules after I finished my last meeting for today.”

Doyoung blinked at him. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't dreaming right now. Mark Lee was asking to come home early, something he'd never done before ever since he joined the company. He was always the last person to leave because he was a workaholic and had a tendency to overwork himself. Not even his mom could convince him to go home early. What the hell was happening?

“But...why?”

Mark stopped typing, taking off his glasses to rub at his tired eyes.

“Donghyuck is sick. I need to make sure he isn't doing something stupid.”

Doyoung let out a small gasp, his hand flying to his mouth to prevent a squeal that threatened to escape his lips. Now everything made sense.

Doyoung knew Mark since he was still a baby. They practically grew up together. He knew him like the back of his hand. Mark wasn't the type to ditch his work just for anyone. For him to come home early just to take care of someone he just knew was a big progress. Mark seemed didn’t realize that his action was so out of character, but Doyoung knew better than that. For now, he would keep quiet but he couldn't wait to tell Taeyong. His best friend would be ecstatic to hear that his brother-in-law finally cared for someone else!

After schooling his expression into impassivity, Doyoung cleared his throat and nodded.

“Is Donghyuckie having a fever?”

Mark sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “He had food poisoning. He was fine now but he was still warm when I left him to go to work.”

Doyoung bit his lower lips as Mark constantly taking glances at his phone on the table as if he was waiting for something. He looked like he wanted to take it but held himself back.

“Okay,” Doyoung said after a few heartbeats of silence, voice even. “I'll make sure to clear out your schedules. Do you need anything else, Boss?”

“Mrs. Kim is going to come over around nine to do the cleaning like usual. Can you call her and ask her to cook _samgyetang_ and prepare hot citron tea for Donghyuck? And tell her to prepare a warm bath for him too. Chenle and Jisung will come over this noon so I need her to watch over him. Do not let him cook for the kids. He needs to rest.”

Doyoung listened tentatively as he typed down the orders on his tablet, pressing his lips together to stop himself from smiling too much.

“Is that all, boss?”

“Yes,” Mark said. “That's all.”

“All right. I'll make sure Mrs. Kim does your orders.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

Doyoung nodded. He was walking to the door when he suddenly remembered something and then turned around to Mark again.

“Boss, you mother called this morning.”

Mark frowned. “What did she say?”

“She wanted you to know that your engagement news will be out in a few weeks. She needs you to warn Donghyuck because it will be difficult for him to go to outside once the news is out.”

“Okay, thank you, hyung.”

Mark's frown still didn't disappear even after Doyoung had filed out of the room. Right. He almost forgot about the arranged marriage. This was important news and of course their families would make an official statement to announce it to the public. Mark hadn't really thought about it before and Doyoung was right. It would be difficult for Donghyuck who'd never been officially exposed to the public before. Mark was used to prying eyes, paparazzi, and amateurs reporters who always tried to invade his personal space and dig into his life. It was part of his life as a public figure. Mark was sure Donghyuck wouldn't be happy with all of that. He was used of freedom and the exposure could be overbearing and overwhelming sometimes. He didn't want to admit it out loud but a small part of him was genuinely worried about the smaller. Mark knew it was only an arranged marriage but he couldn’t help but feel responsible for Donghyuck. He felt the urge to protect him and make sure that he was okay.

That day Mark made a promise to himself that he would always be there for Donghyuck no matter what happened.  

 

* * *

 

When Mark returned home around four, he frowned when he saw a pair of shoes he'd never seen before. He walked straight to the living room because he knew Chenle, Jisung, and Donghyuck would be there. He didn't text Donghyuck but he made sure Jisung informed him everything about the smaller. The kids had arrived two hours before Mark and his brother told him they were watching movies now.

Mark stopped walking when he was only a few feet away from the living room, his eyes searched for a certain feisty puppy and he found him almost immediately. Donghyuck was bundled up in blankets, curling up like a kitten on the love-seat, nose as red as Rudolph's and hair sticking out in all directions. It took him a few moments to finally realize that the puppy was sobbing, tears rolling down his cheeks. A warning alarm rang loudly in Mark's head and he made an attempt to approach him only to halt his steps when he noticed another presence beside Donghyuck. There was a stranger who sat beside Donghyuck and that stranger casually wrapped his arm around the smaller's shoulder, his head leaning down against Donghyuck's.

Mark frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line. He glared at him and it made irritation prickle under his skin. It was clear that they were close, judging from how comfortable Donghyuck was around the stranger. When the smaller let out another sob, that stranger tightened his arm around him and cooed at him, pinching the bridge of his nose gently. Mark gripped his suitcase so hard his knuckles turned white, his face slowly turned red. Suddenly he got a sudden urge to rip that stranger off Donghyuck, his heart was beating rapidly against his ribcage. He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't notice Jisung who walked up to him. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, he found Jisung was staring at him weirdly.

“Hyung, you are so red. Are you okay?”

Mark cleared his throat, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“I didn't hear you coming, hyung. Do you want to join us?”

Mark threw his eyes across the room to Donghyuck who still hadn't realized his presence and still comfortably cuddling up to that stranger. Mark frowned again. Who the hell invited him over his house?

Jisung followed his brother’s gaze and when he turned to Mark again, there was a glint in his eyes and he looked so smug.

“He's Jaemin. Donghyuckie hyung's friend. He came over to check on Donghyuckie hyung.”

Mark pressed his lips together. He didn't want to know his name.

“I don't care.”

Jisung chuckled. “You're so obvious, hyung.”

Mark just snorted and ignored his blunt remark.

“How's Donghyuck?” he asked instead. “Has he eaten his lunch?”

Jisung rolled his eyes at him. His brother had already asked the same question a few minutes ago through text message.

“Yes. We had lunch together. He's fine now. Why don't you go there and greet him?”

Mark stared across the room and decided that he did not want to deal with Donghyuck and that Jaemin boy right now.

“I'll go change first.”

Jisung just shrugged and walked over to the living room to join the others. Mark watched as he plopped down on the floor next to Chenle who was on the verge of crying too. His brother was quick to pull Chenle into his arms and that was when he finally burst into tears, mumbling something incoherently about the movie plots. When Mark turned his eyes to Donghyuck again, he was surprised to see the smaller already looked at him under his wet eyelashes. All of his annoyance immediately melt away when Donghyuck gave him a small smile while sniffling, rubbing his red nose with the back of his hand. Mark smiled back before turning around, walking over to his room to change his clothes.

Five minutes later Mark walked out of his room, clad in a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants and a gray hoodie. He padded over to the kitchen to get some water. When he walked past the living room, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Donghyuck was sitting alone on the love-seat. That Jaemin boy had now moved to the floor with Chenle and Jisung.

Mark opened the fridge and took a bottle of water, gulping it down at one go. He was checking out the inside of the fridge when he heard small footsteps coming closer to where he was standing. He closed the fridge door and found Donghyuck walked over to the kitchen, face blotchy with tears and eyes still glimmering. He was still sniffling into the sleeve of his hoody, which Mark quickly realized that it was actually his. The smaller was still unaware of Mark's presence, his head hung low and Mark was afraid he might trip over something. Without thinking twice, Mark walked up to him and tugged him at his wrist, halting his steps.

“Mister?”

Donghyuck tilted his head up, startled to see him. The sight of him crying like a baby shouldn't have made Mark's heart skipping a beat but it did and he couldn't help the small smile that slowly made its way to his face.

“Hey, hey, look,” Mark said softly, looking down at the smaller who looked at him with unshed tears, his bottom lips wobbling slightly. “Stop crying.”

Donghyuck let Mark reached up to hold his face, cupping his cheeks with his hands, his thumbs wiping away the tears that fell.

“B-but, he's dead! Will chose to end his life and left Lou alone, mister! It's just so cruel!”

“It's just a movie, pup,” Mark said in a soft voice, the pet name slipping so easily from his lips and when he realized what he just said, he checked Donghyuck's reaction and strangely felt happy when the smaller just pouted at him. It meant that he didn't mind.

“It's still sad. I want them to be happy.”

Mark didn't even think twice when he leaned down to press his forehead against his, their noses bumped softly. He didn't let go of Donghyuck's face and stepped closer until there was no space left between them. One of Mark's hands traveled down and rested on the smaller's hip, holding him in place. He rubbed it gently as an attempt to calm him down. He waited until his crying subsided into muffled sobs.

Their small moment broke when they heard a throat clearing sound behind them. Mark straightened his back but didn't let go of Donghyuck. He turned around and found Jaemin standing only a few feet away from them, grinning from ear to ear.

“I'm sorry if I interrupt, um, whatever you guys were doing,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he stared at their proximity. “But I have to go home now. And I just wanted to say goodbye.”

Donghyuck cleared his throat. He forgot to tell Mark about Jaemin because he was too absorbed with the move he was watching.

“Mister, meet Jaemin. He's my best friend since high school.”

Mark just nodded at Jaemin. He was still feeling bitter whenever he thought about him cuddled up with Donghyuck earlier. He unconsciously pulled Donghyuck closer against him, tightening his hold. Donghyuck seemed oblivious but Jaemin noticed it almost immediately and when he looked up at Mark, there was something in his eyes that the latter couldn't pinpoint. It was as if he knew something that he didn't.

“Donghyuckie, how come you called your fiancé 'mister'? Shouldn't you call him by his name or maybe endearing nicknames? Like honey or baby?”

Donghyuck glared at his best friend, face flushing.

“Shut up, Nana.”

Jaemin giggled and suddenly Mark felt so stupid for thinking so badly about the boy. He didn’t know why he felt threatened of him before—not that he would admit it out loud. But now after he saw the way Jaemin was so casual and easy going around him, Mark felt kinda rude for not introducing himself properly.

“I would love to let you guys being gross with each other again but I really need to go home now. Can you walk me outside, Donghyuckie?”

“Thank you, Jaemin,” Mark quickly blurted out, startling the younger a little. “For coming here and taking care of Donghyuck. I’m Mark, by the way.”

Jaemin grinned widely, his eyes crinkled. Mark could see now why he was friends with Donghyuck. Both of them had such bright personalities.

“It’s my job as his best friend to take care of his whiny and sassy ass,” Jaemin replied, making Donghyuck let out a protest at his best friend, muttering a soft ‘traitor’ under his breath. Mark chuckled. He decided right then that he liked this Jaemin boy. He seemed to be a good best friend.

“Nice to meet you, Mark hyung. I’ll see you around?”

Mark nodded at him and smiled. He let Donghyuck go and watched the two of them bickering like kids as they left the kitchen. Only when they vanished from his vision that Mark moved and padded over to the living room to join Chenle and Jisung.

 

* * *

 

Living together meant they had to learn about each other as well. Mark learned that Donghyuck always left his socks on the floor and never put it back inside his shoes no matter how many times Mark reminded him. He always forgot to put the cup back on the toothpaste and he liked to sleep without his boxer briefs. Even after Donghyuck's chauffeur came and brought his stuff, he still liked to rummage inside Mark's closet and wore his clothes instead.  He always blasting Michael Jackson's songs when he was in the shower and Mark almost had a heart attack when it happened for the first time because the music was very, very loud.

Donghyuck learned that Mark couldn't cook to save his life. He couldn't even crack an egg and didn't know how to cut a watermelon in a decent way even though it was his favorite fruit. After he witnessed his bad cooking skill, the smaller was officially in charge of cooking. Mark was also forgetful. He often forgot where he put his glasses and Donghyuck couldn't believe that the CEO couldn't even tie his necktie properly. Mark denied that the way he tied his necktie was already proper but it was always crooked and it became Donghyuck's daily job to fix it.

They still bickered with each other. Sometimes they fought about who got to use the bathroom first and played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would do the dishes. Their relationship was growing and they strangely welcomed the bond that slowly connecting them.

A few weeks went off without a hitch. When a loud ring of a phone woke Mark up on Wednesday morning, he groaned and blindly reached out for his phone on the nightstand, careful not to shift too much because Donghyuck was curling up into him like a kitten, one leg thrown over his waist and both of his hands wrapped around his neck. As the days went by, physical contact became something natural for both of them. Donghyuck was very affectionate and it surprised everyone who had witnessed their interactions, mostly Jisung and Chenle who came over to the house often, how Mark who used to hate doing skinship didn't even flinch when the smaller clung to him. He even reciprocated his affection, which was something he'd rarely do to anyone.

“Mark, turn off the goddamn alarm, please!” Donghyuck whined, snuggling closer to him.

At some points, Donghyuck had stopped calling Mark 'mister' and called him by his name without ‘ _hyung_ ’, which should be offensive and rude because Mark was seven years older than him, but the smaller had his way and Mark didn't have another choice but to let him. If it was anyone else, Mark would have strangled them to death. Jisung once told him that the smaller was always the exception for him, even though Mark quickly denied it.

“It's not my alarm,” Mark said as he got a hold of his phone, voice groggy and laced with sleep. He blinked at the brightness of his phone screen and he was surprised to see 20 missed calls from Doyoung. When his phone rang again, he quickly answered it.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“ _Where the hell have you been, Mark Lee?_ ” Doyoung yelled on the other line, startling Mark who was barely awake. “ _I've been calling you. This is an emergency!_ ”

All the traces of sleepiness immediately went away as soon as Mark noticed the urgency in Doyoung's voice. It was so unlike him to sound panic. Mark became alert and he was wide awake now.

“ _What's wrong, hyung?_ ”

Doyoung huffed and the distress in his voice was evident. “ _The news of your engagement with Donghyuck has been released this morning. It shocked everyone, obviously. But none of us expected it to be this big. I've been rejecting calls from media who wanted more details about your relationship. And now a lot of reporters are crowding around your house. They want to see you and Donghyuck._ ”

“ _Fuck._ ”

Yeah, fuck. Mark completely forgot about this matter. He forgot to tell Donghyuck about it and now it was too late. Mark could feel a headache slowly coming. Just imagining the chaos outside his house made his head pound furiously. This wasn't how he expected to start his day. If the reporters went as far as crowding his house, it meant bad news. Mark did not expect it to be a blow up like this.

“ _I've already sent some bodyguards there. It will be difficult to go out from now on so I need you to be extra careful, okay?_ ”

Mark exhaled deeply. “ _Yes, hyung. Thank you._ ”

“ _Take care of Donghyuckie, too._ ” Doyoung reminded him. He sounded tired and Mark felt bad for his secretary. He had extra works and had to do a lot of things now that the news was out.

“ _Don't worry about it, hyung,_ ” Mark replied. “ _I'll drive him to campus today._ ”

After ended the phone call, Mark looked down and surprised to see Donghyuck was already awake. Judging from his expression, he clearly overheard the conversation.

Mark sighed. “You heard everything?” 

Donghyuck nodded. Mark tightened his hold around the smaller.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I completely forgot about it.”

“It's okay _,_ ” Donghyuck said, and he didn't sound mad which made Mark felt a little at ease. “I knew it would eventually happen.”

“But you've never dealt with this kind of exposure before. It can be overwhelming. And you wouldn't be able to go outside freely now.”

“Well, isn't that your job to protect me?”

Mark pinched Donghyuck's tummy playfully, earning a giggle from the smaller.

“I'm serious, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck sighed.

"Don't worry. I'll be okay. The news will die down after a few weeks. Until then, I'll just have to deal with it."

Donghyuck was right. There was nothing they could do but to deal with it. Mark was reluctant to go outside, knowing that he had to deal with the chaos as soon as he stepped out of the house. But he still had to go to work and Donghyuck had a morning class today. The mood was slightly down and they decided to skip breakfast and quickly got ready to go.

After they were ready, Mark led Donghyuck to the front door and they stopped when they could hear a commotion outside. He faced the younger, searching for some kind of discomfort in his face but the smaller was surprisingly calm.

“Call me if something happens, okay?” Mark said, even though it sounded more like a demand. He didn't know what push him to say it. He wasn't usually like that. But right now, all he could think was the smaller’s well-being. He just wanted to protect Donghyuck from the prying eyes.

“You're being paranoid.”

Mark frowned. “You don't know how crazy and persistent they could be. If they follow you, run. Don't answer their questions. Don’t talk to them. Don't go anywhere alone on campus. Just stick with Jaemin, okay?”

Donghyuck let out a giggle but after seeing Mark’s serious expression hadn’t changed, he sighed and took a step forward, closing the distance between them. He tilted his head up, their faces only inches apart. He wrapped his hands around Mark’s waist, smiling softly at him.

“I’m gonna be okay,” he said, voice soft and gentle. “Don’t worry.”

Mark leaned down and pressed his forehead to Donghyuck’s, their noses touched. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. He knew he was being paranoid but he just couldn’t help it. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to Donghyuck.

Pulling his head slightly, Mark brought his hands to Donghyuck’s face and held it gently.

“Call me if something’s wrong, okay, pup?” he reminded him again, just to make sure. The nickname had slipped from time to time now but they never talked about it. In all honesty, Mark liked to use the pet name because it suited the smaller. Since Donghyuck never showed any refusal or discomfort, Mark supposed he was okay with it.

“Okay. I will.”

“If you can’t reach me, call Doyoungie hyung or Taeyongie hyung. Okay, pup?”

Donghyuck’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at Mark, bright and blinding.

“Yes, _papa_.” he said, giggling. “I promise.” 

Mark pinched Donghyuck’s cheeks lightly, earning a surprised yelp from the smaller. Instead of getting mad, Donghyuck just laughed. And Mark laughed with him. It helped to break the tensed atmosphere.

“Shall we?” Mark asked after they composed themselves. Donghyuck smiled and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Mark smiled back at Donghyuck before taking his hand in his, pulling him close to his side as he pushed the door open and stepped out the house.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/_hitmyheart) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_hitmyheart)


	4. Bitten by The Pup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is finally here :') I just want to say thank you for the amount of supports and love I've received through this fic. Thank you for liking my story. I really really appreciate it. I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter <3 <3 <3

* * *

While Mark had expected things to blow up, he certainly did not expect that it would be an explosion. The very first time Donghyuck was being introduced to the public proved to be one of the hardest things Mark had ever had to deal with. Getting out of the house became an impossible task. As if it wasn't daunting enough, the sheer number of paparazzi in the driveway made it nearly impossible for the car to inch forward. It had taken almost half an hour just for the car to make it past the wall of humans and onto the open road. As a result, Donghyuck was late for his morning class and Mark missed his morning meeting. To make it worse, only two hours after that, their faces and engagement news were out as the headline in many tabloids.

Mark was used to exposure but even he had to admit that the attention he’s got was bigger than before. They weren’t even interested in him. They were interested in Donghyuck and their relationship. Normally Mark would’ve ignored them all because he knew that the content of the article was varied from one to another and almost every word in it was already twisted and taken out of context. That day, more than twenty articles were posted and in the end, Mark stopped keeping up with them and turned off his notification on the phone.

Mark waited for a week and expected the news to die down but he was proven wrong when the paparazzi were still crowding around his house. It was getting ridiculous at that point. His privacy was invaded and Mark didn’t like it. He stopped watching television and the curtains in the house were always drawn. He wouldn’t let those paparazzi get a glimpse inside his personal space.

Donghyuck surprisingly was doing fine. More than fine, actually. He didn't seem to be bothered by the sudden spotlight. If anything, the smaller liked to tease them. Sometimes when he and Mark went outside, he would purposely be getting very touchy with Mark and showcased a simple public display of affection like holding hands or a kiss on the cheek which never failed to make it to the highlight of the news.

After a while, it became their thing. Mark would casually take Donghyuck's hand in his when they were in the public, pulling him closer to his side. Mark never forgot to kiss Donghyuck's forehead when he dropped him off at his campus. He would put his arms around the smaller when the paparazzi swarmed them and made sure to give them a piece of his mind. He made sure that none of them hurt his fiancé or they would get the consequences. They knew better than to piss the young CEO because it obviously won't end pretty.

Today Mark promised Donghyuck to come home early because they had to do some grocery shopping. He drove off to Donghyuck's campus to pick the smaller up. When he arrived there, the smaller was already waiting for him. Mark frowned when he noticed that Donghyuck wasn't alone. He was with someone else but it wasn't Jaemin. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Mark quickly slid out of the car and walked over them. Donghyuck noticed him right away and something inside Mark fluttered as the smaller waved at him, smiling so bright it put the sun to shame.

“Mark, you're here!”

Mark smiled back at him and out of instinct leaned forward to drop a kiss on his forehead, ruffling his hair gently. It made Donghyuck beamed at him.

“I'm sorry I'm late,” he said. “I just finished another meeting.”

Donghyuck patted his chest gently as a way to say it’s okay.

“I didn't wait that long. Beside, Jeno is here to keep me company.”

Mark almost forgot that Donghyuck wasn't alone. He turned to the Jeno guy and nodded his head at him as a greeting. Jeno smiled at him as he extended his hand. He had a very bright smile and his eyes turned crescent. He looked like a harmless puppy.

“Hi, I'm Jeno. Donghyuckie's friend from History class. Finally I get to meet you in person. Donghyuck can't stop talking about you.”

Donghyuck let out a yelp as he lunged forward to throw a punch on Jeno's shoulder, scowling at his friend. For some reasons, it made Mark felt at ease to see their playful banter. They were obviously just friends.

Mark shook Jeno's hand with an easy smile.

“Hi, Jeno. I'm Mark,” he said. “I hope he’s telling you good things. I'm trying hard to be his good husband.”

Jeno's eyes twinkled with mirth as he smirked meanwhile Donghyuck flushed a deep red.

“You're doing fine. Don't worry. It isn't hard to please him. You just have to give him food.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Mark played along. “He really loves food.”

Donghyuck stomped his feet.

“Stop talking about me! I hate you both!”

Donghyuck threw a hard glare at Jeno and shoved Mark's chest as he walked past him while grumbling under his breath. Mark and Jeno laughed at his antics.

“Now I have to bribe him with his favorite green tea ice cream to make him stop sulking,” Mark said, wincing when Donghyuck slammed the car door shut with a loud bang. “He's scary when he's angry.”

Jeno laughed. “Well, you know what you've gotten yourself into when you're with him, hyung. I wish you well.”

Before Mark could say something, Donghyuck rolled the window down and stuck his head out to yell at him.

“Mark, hurry up!”

Mark let out a small chuckle at that.

“That's my duty call,” he said. “Thank you for keeping him company, Jeno. I'll see you around?”

Jeno nodded.

“Yeah, hyung. Take care.”

Mark gave Jeno’s shoulder a light pat before running toward the car to the impatient puppy. Donghyuck already had both of his legs on the dashboard while humming to Michael Jackson’s songs at the top of his lungs.

Mark just shook his head at him. “The things I did to put up with you.”

Donghyuck turned to him and stuck his tongue out playfully as a response. Mark just chuckled in return.

 

* * *

 

Perhaps shopping for groceries together in public wasn't such a smart idea after all. It was totally chaotic and they should've known that going out in public meant drawing unnecessary attention. The supermarket was packed to the brim with paparazzi as soon as the couple got inside. They were dying to get a view of the couple. Thankfully, Mark came prepared today. He brought some of his most trustworthy bodyguards with him. They guarded the supermarket and made sure the paparazzi didn't get to close to the couple. The constant camera flashes were giving Mark a headache and he knew he could snap at them anytime. By his side, Donghyuck was completely unfazed as he pushed the cart towards the fresh product.

“Full cream or skim milk?”

Donghyuck asked as he showed Mark two bottles of different types of milk.

“Skim.”

Donghyuck nodded and put the skim milk inside the cart.

After weeks, they've learned enough about each other. Mark knew Donghyuck couldn't eat anything sour and the smaller knew his older fiancé couldn't handle spicy food. Donghyuck liked to serve a full set of meals including side dishes meanwhile Mark was content with a cup of coffee with a ham sandwich. As Mark trailing behind the smaller who scoured the shelves for food, Mark learned that Donghyuck didn’t really like anything instant. He skipped frozen food and picked up fresh ingredients of salad. After weeks of living together, Mark knew that Donghyuck enjoyed the process of making food to others. He didn’t mind going through a hard time making them.

Donghyuck did most of the shopping like an expert. He knew the better product and its composition. Mark only went to the supermarket when he ran out of ramen and chips. As they continued going through every aisle, Mark realized just how domestic they were right now. He'd never debated with someone over which flavor of ice cream to purchase or what color of slippers they should get that matched the bathroom's floor. It was new but it wasn’t that bad. In fact, he liked it.  

After a while, Mark completely forgot about the commotion around them and gave his full attention to Donghyuck. He listened to him recounting his days attentively, making a few comments here and there. By the time they were done shopping, the cart was full. They were currently waiting in line in the cashier and Mark started getting irate when people couldn't stop stealing glances at them. What more irritating was the fact that their gazes lingered on Donghyuck a few seconds longer and Mark didn’t appreciate it. Something kicked on his instinct and he was fast to move forward, pressing his chest flushed against Donghyuck's back. He wrapped one arm around the smaller's waist, gripping it loosely. His sudden movement startled Donghyuck.

“What?” Donghyuck asked, tilting his head up to look at him confusedly. Mark thought it was ridiculous how cute Donghyuck looked right now. His nose scrunched up a little, his lips parted slightly, and his eyes were open and wide. Mark felt a sudden urge to kiss those lips and immediately got embarrassed with his own thought. God, he was the older one here but he acted like a teenager.

“Nothing,” he replied with a shrug. Donghyuck lifted one of his eyebrows. He clearly didn't believe him. Not being able to resist him any longer, Mark leaned down and bumped his nose against his, earning a small yelp from the smaller. Mark's action triggered a mass of scream but at this point, he didn't care anymore.

“What was that for?”

Mark just smiled cheekily without answering his question.

“Move, pup. It's our turn now.”

Donghyuck huffed. “You're weird.”

The cashier was a young girl who was obviously having a hard time to get a grip of herself as she bagged their groceries. The poor girl's eyes were practically bulging out of her skull as she looked between the two of them. Mark was getting impatient meanwhile Donghyuck as always didn't seem to be bothered by the attention he was getting. Instead he flashed her a bright smile, making her almost dropped an egg carton she was holding.

“D-Donghyuck-ssi looks so cute in real life,” she stuttered, cheeks flaming in red. Both Mark and Donghyuck were taken aback by her sudden compliment.

“Thank you!” he said, grinning widely at her. Mark thought Donghyuck as too good for his own good. If it were him, he wouldn’t react as polite as the smaller.

She ducked her head down. “You guys are such a cute couple.”

Donghyuck giggled, linking one arm around Mark’s torso. “I’m lucky, am I? Having this hot young CEO as my fiancé.”

Mark raised one of his eyebrows at the smaller, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Oh, you feel lucky now? I thought you said I’m old and ugly?”

Donghyuck playfully elbowed Mark’s stomach, earning a small groan of pain from the older. He pouted at him.

“You’re supposed to say something sweet in return,” he complained. “Now you’re giving her a bad impression of us.”

Mark was a sucker for Donghyuck’s pout and cute face. It was impossible to resist him when he was looking like that. Letting out a sigh in defeat, he leaned down to kiss the tip of Donghyuck’s cute button nose as an apology.

“I’m just kidding, pup. I’m sorry.”

Donghyuck giggled, his eyes twinkled. “It’s okay, papa.”  

Mark smiled back at him but he clearly didn’t expect Donghyuck to stretch on his toes so that he could kiss Mark's stubbles softly. Mark blinked dumbly at the smaller. It was the very first time Donghyuck had initiated a kiss, in public for that matter. Heat quickly flooded Mark and all he could hear despite the shrieking around them was the pounding of his heart.

 

* * *

 

Their relationship was constantly splashed across newspapers, magazines, entertainment shows, and various social media sites. There were a lot of invitations for an interview but Mark always refused. He wasn't some sort of celebrity and going out to the public and talking about his love life wasn't his thing. He wasn't going to give them more tidbits of his life. They knew enough.

Despite the chaos that was happening, Mark and Donghyuck went on with their life. Those paparazzi had stopped crowding around Mark's house after the latter used his connection and power to shoo them away. Mark and Donghyuck had learned to ignore them and let them be as long as they didn't cross the line. After their short trip to the supermarket, the connection between Mark and Donghyuck was getting stronger. They started to spend more time together. Mark still came home late at night sometimes but he made time for Donghyuck. They went through a ridiculous number of movies on Netflix and every time, they would always argue whose turn it was to pick the title of the movies. Mark preferred classic movies from the 80s meanwhile Donghyuck was very up-to-date. Knowing that they could never make it work if they kept being stubborn, in the end, they compromised. Donghyuck didn’t protested when Mark showed him all of River Phoenix's works. In fact, he really liked My Own Private Idaho and they re-watched it from time to time. In exchange, Mark sat still when Donghyuck played Coco and The Greatest Showman. Mark actually tear up a little when he saw the movies. Donghyuck noticed it but he didn't make fun of him. Instead, the smaller grinned at him. He felt proud for making Mark taken a liking in his preferences.

There was never a dull moment in the kitchen either, not when they're both trying to try random recipes they could find on the Internet. Mark was still a bad cook but he was slowly learning to make a dish or two. Most of them turned out inedible, but he didn't stop trying because Donghyuck always encouraged him. Once, Mark brought a large Tupperware of super cheesy macaroni schotel that Donghyuck had made for him and because he couldn't eat it alone, he shared it with Doyoung.

“My god, Mark Lee,” Doyoung had moaned as he got a taste of it. His face twisted in pleasure and he looked like he was on the verge of crying. “You're so lucky. Never leave him.”

Mark just snickered at his overreaction but he found himself thinking; _no, he would never let Donghyuck go._

 

* * *

 

Today Mark came home earlier than usual without telling Donghyuck. The smaller wasn't home yet but according to his schedule—they've shared each other' schedules—, he would be home in half an hour. Loosening his necktie, he walked toward the kitchen to put the take-out Chinese he bought on the way home on the kitchen counter. After getting himself a glass of water, he went to his room to freshen up. Fifteen minutes later he came out of his room clad in his sweatpants and white plain t-shirt. He walked toward the living room and turned on the television while waiting for Donghyuck to come home.

An hour later, Donghyuck still hadn't come home yet. There was no sight of him, which was unusual because Donghyuck would always call Mark if he was coming home late. Mark had sent him some texts but all of them were unread. He waited for another hour, and then another, and the time went on. Four hours later Mark finally had lost his patience. Donghyuck didn't pick up his calls and all of his texts were still unread. Mark was getting worried now. He was afraid that something bad happened to him. What if some crazy paparazzi cornered him just to get some information? They could be really pushy and rude sometimes.

Mark was pacing in the living room with his phone on his ear. He groaned when all of his calls went straight to the voice mail. He had called Jaemin and asked about Donghyuck's whereabouts but even the latter didn't know about it. They had different classes today so Jaemin didn't see Donghyuck. It drove Mark crazy for not knowing where the smaller was. He considered calling police when he heard a roar of an engine outside his house and he immediately made a mad dash for the front door. 

Mark's breath was heavy as he was finally outside. It was almost ridiculous how glad he was to find Donghyuck was indeed there, relief slowly flooding through him after knowing that Donghyuck was safe and sound. He was about to approach him when he finally noticed another presence. Donghyuck was with someone Mark never seen before. He was with a guy who's a little inch taller than him. That guy stood before Donghyuck and they seemed to be engaged in animated conversation because the smaller was giggling, his eyes curved into a crescent. Something inside Mark snapped when he saw that guy pulled his fiancé against his chest and hugged him.

“Seo Donghyuck!”

Mark's voice boomed from the porch, startling them. Donghyuck pulled away from the guy, blinking at him. Mark felt too hot right now. His insides burned as his eyes threw daggers at the guy. Their proximity irritated him even more, adding fuel to his anger. Yet he stayed compose and schooled his expression perfectly.

“Get inside, Donghyuck. It's late.”

Mark didn't look at Donghyuck. He looked at the guy who looked back at him with a confused expression. Without saying anything else, he turned around and took big steps inside the house. Once he was inside, he heard Donghyuck's footsteps coming from behind him. Not being able to hold himself anymore, he turned around and snapped at the smaller.

“Where the hell have you been, Seo Donghyuck?” he spat, his face was red with intense anger. He was fuming. “Do you know what time it is? I've been waiting for you to come home for hours now. You could've at least informed me if you were going to come home late. And what the hell was that? What were you thinking? Do you think it’s appropriate for you to go home with another guy and being intimate with him too in front of my house! What if some crazy paparazzi caught it? You know it would be hell if the news were out to the public. You're an adult. Be responsible and think about another else. I felt so stupid waiting for you to come home when you were out there with another guy. You—“

Mark stopped talking at the sound of Donghyuck's crying. His head jerked back as if someone had slapped him. All of the rampant anger inside him vanished as watched tears slid down Donghyuck's cheeks, cutting into the latter like a blade. Mark swallowed thickly. He took a step forward but stopped abruptly when Donghyuck quickly took a step back from him as if their proximity burned him.

“Donghyuck—“

Donghyuck shook his head at him, more tears running down his cheeks.

“Y-you're so mean...” he hiccupped, sobbing. “I don't want to see your face right now.”

Without wasting another time, Donghyuck turned around and ran out of the door. Mark stood frozen in his place. He still couldn't fully process what just happened. By the time he gained back all of his senses, it was too late. Donghyuck was already gone.

 

* * *

 

Mark sat down on the couch for a very long time, his face blank and his chest heavy. He felt horrible and his head spun sickeningly. His throat tightened painfully as he thought about his careless actions and just how insensitive he was. Donghyuck's crying face haunted him. It couldn't leave his head, making him sick with guilt. He shouldn't have acted ridiculously irrational and lashed out at Donghyuck. He'd snapped at him and said awful things to him. He didn't give him a chance to explain himself. Bile rose in his throat just thinking about it. Mark felt like a complete asshole now.

After almost half an hour sitting there, Mark rose from the couch and walked toward the kitchen. Two boxes of Chinese were still on the counter but it was cold now. Mark couldn't bring himself to eat and decided to throw them into the bin. How could he eat when he didn't even know whether the smaller had already eaten or not? Mark could've chased after Donghyuck but he decided not to because they needed some space. Donghyuck made it clear that he didn't want to see him and Mark still couldn't think straight right now.

The house had never been this empty before. As Mark looked around it, he wondered when did everything change? Before this, he was totally fine being alone. He used to be alone and valued his personal space. But then Donghyuck came into his life and slowly things started to change. He started to get used to his presence and learned how to live with him.

Not knowing what to do, Mark went to his room and lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The bed felt especially cold without a familiar heat next to his. He traced the side of the bed where Donghyuck’s usual spot at and felt loneliness slipping through him. It just didn’t feel the same. Everything felt strange without him now. Mark closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him. He waited but ended up staying awake until the morning came. When he slid out of the room again, there were still no traces of Donghyuck in the house.

Mark loved Donghyuck's dirty socks on the floor because that meant he was home. He loved when the smaller introduced him to a new band he knew nothing about and secretly listened to them when the smaller was away so it felt like he was there with him. He loved watching silly romance movies with him even though he despised the genre. He loved lying on the couch eating Chinese when they were too lazy to cook. He loved lying in bed with him late at night looking for new recipes, only going to sleep so they could wake up and make breakfast together while having a hot cup of coffee. He loved those little lines around his eyes when he laughed or looked into the sun. For Mark, Donghyuck was even brighter than the sun. He easily put the sun to shame. He loved him so much it hurt.

Realization instantly struck Mark. A shudder moved through him, making his whole body vibrated. His chest expanded on a deep breath. He loved him. He loved Donghyuck.

Mark loved Donghyuck.

As if he'd just woken up from a trance, Mark quickly grabbed his car key and ran out of the front door.

 

* * *

 

It was Ten who opened the front door. As soon as he saw Mark's face, he scowled at him and made an attempt to shut the door but Mark stopped him just in time.

“I know Donghyuck is here,” he said, breathless. He knew Ten and met him several times before but he wasn't close enough with him to understand each other. Ten clearly wanted nothing to do with Mark right now but the latter was determined to meet the smaller.

“Please, let me in.”

“Why should I do that?” Ten challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. “You hurt my little brother's feelings. Donghyuck might be only my brother-in-law, but I treasure him like my real brother. Anyone tries to hurt him, they will have to deal with me.”

Mark licked his dry lips, feeling a headache coming. He couldn't get a blink of sleep last night. His head throbbing. He understood where Ten was coming but he didn't have time to deal with him right now. Mark needed to see Donghyuck or he would go insane.

“I lo—“ he said but stopped himself just in time. No, he shouldn't say it right now. Not to Ten, anyway. If anyone had to hear it first, it had to be Donghyuck.

“You what, Mark Lee?” Ten pressed. “I didn't know exactly what happened between the two of you but he came home crying wasn't a good sign at all.”

“Look, I get that you're just trying to be a good brother for him but this is between me and Donghyuck. I was an asshole to him, I know. And I'm here to apologize properly. So please open the door and let me in. I need to see my fiancé.”

Ten was about to say something in return, but a deep voice interrupted him.

“Baby, let him in.”

Johnny appeared behind Ten, resting one hand around his waist. He took in the sight of Mark and tsked.

“You look like a mess.”

Mark ignored the blatant truth. “Let me in, hyung.”

Johnny sighed. “Fine. Come in.”

Johnny pulled the door open and Mark immediately went inside, following Johnny who walked toward the stairs. Ten just gave Mark a warning look before making his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Once they were upstairs, Johnny pointed at the door in the corner.

“That's his room,” he informed. “I will call you two when the breakfast is ready.”

Johnny gave Mark's shoulder a gentle squeeze before going downstairs. He wasn't the type to meddle in someone else’s business and Mark was thankful for that.

Walking toward the door, Mark took a deep breath before he mustered the courage to knock.

“Pup, it's me. Can I come inside?”

Silence. There was no reply. Mark tried to open the door and realized that it wasn't locked. He pushed the door open and found Donghyuck was lying on the bed, his back facing him.

Mark noticed how Donghyuck's body went rigid as he stepped closer. He knew that the smaller was awake. Ever so slowly and carefully, he climbed onto the bed and lay next to the smaller, leaving a safe space between them. Mark sighed, feeling incredibly relieved just to be able to lay by his side again.

“Pup, I'm sorry,” he whispered, chest heavy with guilt. “I shouldn't have lashed out on you. I should've listened to your explanations first. I know that you're a responsible adult. You must have had your reasons. I was just too angry to be rational. I was very mean to you. I'm so sorry.”

There was still no reaction from the smaller so Mark continued.

“I couldn't sleep without you, pup,” he said. “The bed felt so cold without you. And the house was too quiet. I don't think I could be there any longer without you. Everything reminds me of you. Every corner of the house is a part of you now.”

Mark bravely scooted closer. He waited for rejection but Donghyuck still stayed unmoving. After a few moments of hesitation, Mark bravely closed the distance between them. His chest pressed against Donghyuck's back. He swept his hair away from his nape and pressed a kiss into the vulnerable skin.

“Come home, pup,” he pleaded. “I missed you.”

Finally, there was a sharp intake of breath coming from Donghyuck. He instantly melted as Mark pressed his face against his shoulders.

“You were mean,” Donghyuck finally said, his voice rough. “I didn't like the way you acted.”

Mark sighed, tightening his hold around Donghyuck's waist.

“Yes, I was very mean to you. I'm sorry. I'm older than you yet I'm the one who's still struggling to control my emotions when it comes to you.”

Donghyuck let out a deep breath. “I know you weren't usually like that, Mark. What happened?”

Mark didn't answer right away. He was contemplating whether to tell him the truth or not and decided that he should come clean.

“I was jealous,” he confessed quietly and he was startled when Donghyuck immediately turned around to face him.

Donghyuck's eyes were swollen and his nose was still red. But he didn't look angry or hurt. Instead he looked curious now as he looked at Mark.

“You were jealous? Of Taeil hyung?”

Mark tried not to scoff at the name.

“So his name is Taeil. I see. Never saw or heard him before.”

Donghyuck stared at Mark for a very long moment before a small laugh slipped from his lips. The sound of it made something inside Mark fluttered. He felt alive again.

“Mark, he is my senior from Choir Club on campus. I came home late because Taeil hyung asked me to accompany him to get a present for his girlfriend. I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls and reply your texts. My phone died and I lost track of the time. I'm sorry for making you worried sick of me.”

Mark inhaled sharply, filling his lungs with air. He could finally breathe again.

Pressing his forehead against Donghyuck's, he loved the way his breath mixed with the smaller's. “I was such an asshole, wasn't I?”

Donghyuck chuckled. “You were.”

Mark brought one of his hands to Donghyuck's cheek, stroking it gently.

“From now on, I promise that I will never raise my voice to you or say profanities to you. If we get into a fight and we’re too angry to even talk to each other or see each other's face, we will make some space and let each other cool down first. We will only talk when we're in the right state of minds. And I will try not to get blindly jealous of anyone who’s close to you. What do you think, pup?”

A silence.

“But... it's just an arranged married. You don't lo—“

“I love you,” Mark quickly cut him off and it surprised him how easily he said it. “I love you, pup.”

Mark opened his eyes and found Donghyuck was already looking at him, his bottom lip quivered as the tears started to blur his vision. He cooed softly as he wiped the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Don't cry, pup. It's okay,” he said. “I love you. I really really love you. Our relationship might have started as a business, but my feelings for you are real.”

Donghyuck burst into tears and threw himself into Mark's arms, sobbing his heart out. Mark held him closer, stroking the back of his head gently.

“Stop crying, pup. If Ten hyung heard you crying, he will skin me alive. He is scary, you know.”

Laughing, Donghyuck pulled back and let Mark wiped away the hot tears against his cheeks with his thumbs.

“Johnny hyung said Ten hyung is cute when he's angry. Like a cute kitty.”

Mark snickered. “He is not cute at all. You're way cuter than him.”

Donghyuck lowered his eyes, blushing furiously. It made Mark wanted to kiss the daylight out of him.

“I love you,” Mark said earnestly. “I mean it.”

“You've said it five times already.” Donghyuck teased, smiling from ear to ear. He was glowing and Mark was very much in love. 

“I don't care. I will say it a million times until you get tired of it.”

“I will never get tired of it,” Donghyuck said, brushing a stray strand away from Mark's eyes. “I love you, too.”

Donghyuck cupped Mark's face and slowly leaned down. Mark met him halfway, pressing their lips together. It was slow and tender. And then it got messy and tongues were involved. Donghyuck accidentally knocked his nose against Mark's chin when he tried to shower his face with kisses. And then they pulled away and laughed.

Mark looked at Donghyuck as if the smaller hung the moon. “I love you.”

Donghyuck looked back at him with the most beautiful smile Mark had ever seen. His expression mirrored Mark’s.

“I love you, too.”

And then Donghyuck leaned down again to capture Mark's lips with his and at that moment, it was more than enough. 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_hitmyheart) [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/_hitmyheart)

**Author's Note:**

> You can ask me anything [here](https://curiouscat.me/_hitmyheart?load)


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